Saturday, March 17, 2018

Operational fault with leased aircraft delays Air Malta flights

Air
Malta has confirmed that its KM-116 flight to London-Gatwick has been delayed by
more than 13 hours due to an operational fault with the aircraft meant to be
operating the flight.

In a statement issued
this afternoon, the airline said that the aircraft was scheduled to depart at
8:40am, but had encountered a fault shortly before take off. Air Malta said that its
customers had been accommodated in nearby hotels and had been offered refreshments
in line with the delay's duration.

"The flight was
scheduled to be operated by a wet leased aircraft which was brought in to help
with the increased flight schedule currently being operated by the
airline," it said. "The short-term wet lease of this aircraft was
necessary due to the fact that the delivery of the ninth aircraft was delayed by
the leasing company."

"Wet leasing aircraft
is an industry standard when dealing with increased operational requirements
and unexpected aircraft delays and is done by all international airlines on a
regular basis," added Air Malta. (Source: maltatoday.com, 17-Mar-2018)